PLATTSBURGH — Today marks day two of nine days of mourning for the “People’s Pope,” who died on Easter Monday, April 21, the 111th day of the year.
The passing of Pope Francis, 88, after a five-week hospitalization, is not only a monumental shift for the Roman Catholic Church, but also for the world who recognized the supreme pontiff’s inclusivity of the disenfranchised and fearlessness in speaking truth to power about social and environmental injustice.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina on December 17, 1936, he took the name Francis, the first pope to do so, after St. Francis of Assisi, who founded the religious order of the Franciscans.
Pope Francis proclaimed the theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” for the Ordinary Jubilee 2025.
In his Easter Sunday message read by an aide, Pope Francis pleaded for peace and immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The Most Reverend Terry R. LaValley, Bishop of Ogdensburg, was on the road Monday when he shared his 2016 encounter with Pope Francis.
“During our ad limina visit, we, the bishops from around New York, gathered in a circle, and we each had an opportunity to ask the Holy Father a question. I asked him what kept him up at night. His response was very telling. He said it was the state of the family today. He talked about issues in his own family and questions related to marriage. He talked about building up families in support of children. I was very touched by his sharing of such personal stories related to the condition of his own family and how that troubled him, as well as how the general state of the family today troubled him. It’s an encounter I’ll never forget.
“He was a much-loved pope. He occupied the Chair of Peter with great humility and tremendous love for those in society who are hurting and marginalized,” LaValley said.
The Pontiff’s final Easter Sunday X tweet was “Christ is risen! These words capture the entire meaning of our existence, for we were not made for death but for life.”
On March 13, 2013, he also extended an Easter greeting when he became the 266th pope, the first supreme pontiff outside of Europe in more than 1,200 years, the first from the Americas, and the first Jesuit.
LOOBY VISIT
The Rev. Christopher Looby — pastor of St. Alexander’s, St. Augustine’s, and St. James Churches — met him four years later.
“In April 2017, I had the incredible privilege of meeting the Holy Father while leading a pilgrimage to Rome. Before our trip, I had quietly made arrangements to celebrate Mass with Pope Francis in the chapel at his residence, Casa Santa Marta.
“I kept it a secret from my group, planning to slip away early that morning and return before our first tour of the day.
“After the Mass, as I was taking off my vestments, a guard entered and said something in Italian. I didn’t understand him, so I asked the priest next to me, who translated: ‘The Pope wants to meet all of us.’ What could I do? I didn’t want to miss our tour— but I wasn’t about to pass up meeting the Pope either!
“I waited until the end of the line. When I finally shook Pope Francis’ hand, I introduced myself, and he looked right at me and said simply, ‘Please pray for me!’ It was a humbling, unforgettable moment.
“Afterward, I dashed back to the hotel and—by sheer grace—arrived just as my group was boarding the bus. They saw me running down the street and asked, ‘Where were you?’ I was still catching my breath when I replied, ‘You’re not going to believe this, but I just celebrated Mass with the Pope!’
“It truly was the experience of a lifetime. and I’ve never forgotten what he asked of me. Since then, I have prayed for him—and I always will.”
STRITT MEMORIES
The Rev. Bryan D. Stitt didn’t ever meet Pope Francis but did see him while on a September 2023 pilgrimage to the Vatican.
“The announcement of the death of Pope Francis was such a surprise. A brother priest texted me early this morning, and as soon as I saw the news, I headed over to the church to unlock the doors and pray for him. We put up the black bunting on the doors of the church and have the Pope’s picture illuminated with a candle. People have coming in and out all day with heavy hearts and with lots of prayer,” Stitt, pastor of St. Mary’s Church, said.
“It’s tempting to look solely at the gritty reality of death, but we celebrate the Easter season for 50 days — until Pentecost Sunday. Yesterday’s Easter celebrations have only just begun. In that light, we see the gritty reality of the Pope’s unexpected death in the light of the hope of the resurrection.
“Personally, I’m struck by Pope Francis’ motto: Miserando atque eligendo. It was taken from a homily by Saint Bede, an English eighth-century doctor of the Church, on the Gospel account of the call of Saint Matthew. It roughly translates to ‘having mercy, he called him.’ Francis famously called himself a sinner. When interviewed in August of 2013, the Pope was asked: ‘Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?’ His response was, ‘I am a sinner. This the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.’
“So, it is fitting that we pray for him to God. God is love and mercy. So just as the Lord with mercy called St. Matthew from his tax-collector’s booth to follow Him, so I hope that the Lord now calls Pope Francis into His heavenly embrace.”